Beginning Life Anew
by Andy Wong Fey Hong
Summary: My writer's block is broken! To celebrate the break, I give you a series of one shots filled with fluff and smutt for my favourite couple in Mass Effect! Starting from the end of ME2, I aim to end with the beginning of ME3. Ladies and Gentlemen, enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note**

The spell of writer's block is broken, I WRITE AGAIN! Ladies and gentleman, after more than a year of negativity and depression, I am now picking up the pen and writing once more! I love writing! I love telling stories! I love reviews! :P OK, last one was partially a joke, but I seriously hearing your responses, because my goal is to give you extremely good stories that will inspire you, empower you or at the very least, make your day brighter by making you all hang in suspense wishing for the next chapter, or laughing your ass off therefore brightening your day, or even making you go Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!, which incidently, is my prime motivation for making this story.

So yes, this will be a smutt and fluff filled series of connected one shots, starting with the end of Mass Effect 2. I pray you enjoy it.

**Beginning Life Anew**

**Chapter 1: I Want To Live!**

_**"Human, you've changed nothing."**_

The ghostly voice of Harbringer seem to echo from everywhere. Shepard ignored it as he focused only on escaping the Collector Base before it turned into a pile of slag. He stopped a few times to shoot a few of the seeker insects as they attempted to rush at him. Realising the futility of his action, he focused on running, always keeping his eyes in front.

_**"Your species has the attention of those infinitely your greater."**_

Collector guards finally spotted the escaping team and soon Shepard felt his sheilds sizzle as they deflected a hail of stray bullets. He still kept running.

_**"That which you know as Reapers are your salvation through destruction."**_

'_It will not end like this! We won and we're going to live! I'm going to live!'_ Shepard screamed inwardly, andrenaline fueled not by desperation but strangely enough, the fear of death. Because if he died, he would never have a chance to fulfil his love, who even now ran ahead of him. He kept his vision firmly on her, determined that no one else went pass him to take her down.

The huge corridor opened into a huge cavern with a bottomless chasm at the edge, the central chamber where the Collector Cruiser used to inhabit. And out of the chasm, like a huge bird of prey it was designed after, rose the Normandy. The bridge hatch oepned and a single human armed with an assault rifle stood out. Never before in any part of his brittle bone problematic life did Joker look so heroic. He rained down devastating cover fire at the Collectors chasing Shepard and his team. The foolish Collectors were so fixated on Shepard that they stupidly ignored Joker even as the crippled pilot cut them down.

Garrus was the first to make it, cradling his arm and charging into the open hatch, narrowly missing Joker. He was unable to control his momentum and slammed unto the opposite wall, knocking himself unconcious.

The firepower chasing them intensified as more Collector's joined the chase. To Shepard's horror, some of them were also firing on the other squad member still running for the Normandy. Rage filled him as he saw the telltale signs of the kinetic barrier collapsing. With power borned of rage, he concentrated his biotic powers harder than any effort before. His implants felt as though they were melting through the back of his head and he could even feel blood oozing from his eyes, mouth, and even ears. As the biotic energy enveloped his body, the display of biotic power would have put even Jack and Samara to shame. Like the Zeus, Greek God of lightning, he spun around and punched his fist towards the Collectors, unleashing a massive shockwave that spread out towards the collectors. The shockwave dwarfed the one made by Jack only minutes earlier during the long walk where the troubled biotic protected the team from the seeker swarms. The horde of Collectors were thrown back but at the same time it cause the various floating platforms to collapse and while the structural integrity of the base deteriorated.

All of this Shepard did not notice, for he had turned back towards the Normandy without seeing his handiwork. His heart soared as he saw the final squad member leap into the Normandy but unlike Garrus, gracefully spun on her heel and immediately supported Joker by laying another barrage of cover fire. But just as quickly, it plummetted when he saw the platform in front of the Normandy collapse as a large bulkhead broke off the ceiling and smashed into it, leaving a bottomless chasm more than thirty metres between the edge and the Normandy. For one terrible moment, he resigned himself to his fate. After all, the mission was done. The base would be destroyed and all of his crew would live on.

His crew. One crew in particular filled his mind. He looked at her still standing at the hatch and even though she was masked, he felt her stare penetrating his own helmet.

_'Don't you dare die Setsuna!'_

His earlier thoughts vanished.

"_**I WANT TO LIVE!"**_ he roared as biotic energy filled him once again as he ran even faster. More than even the shockwave he just created, the biotic energy surged through his body, giving him one last phenomenal burst of speed as he leapt of the edge.

Time seem to slow as he jumped over the impossible distance, well further than any athlete, human or otherwise, had ever attempted. But for Shepard, he no longer thought of failing to make the distance. In his mind, he had only one thought. _'I AM GOING TO LIVE!'_

He did make it, barely. Most of his body slammed into the Normandy just below the hatch, but his head, shoulders and arms had reached the open hatchway and holding on for dear life. He felt his hands slipping the smooth surface of Normandy's floor and then a pair of strong hands gripped his right arm and pulled with a strength disproportionate to her small stature. Shepard was briefly fascinated when she lifted his whole body weight, including his weapons and heavy armoud, into the Normandy. He collapsed on top of her legs, panting and holding on for dear life. He looked up at the face of his saviour.

_"YOU BOSH'TET! I SAW THAT LOOK! NEXT TIME YOU DO THAT, REMEMBER I HAVE A SHOTGUN!" _Tali Zorah Vas Normandy Nar Rayya scolded even as Shepard saw drops of liquid wet the visor she wore from the inside.

For the first time since his unholy resurrection, Shepard laughed heartily even as tears of joy emerged. For the next few moments, that was all he heard even as Joker expertly piloted the Normandy away from the exploding Collector Base. The sound of his laughter was easily louder than the detonation of the Collector Base.

To be continued...

**Author's note:** Well, there you have it. I wanted to write in the other parts of the ending, such as the Collector General's death and Harbringer's condemnation, but would spoil the mood. Besides, we've all played the game a hundred times and are bored with the standard ending. This is how I'm envisioning my ending.

Constructive flames, reviews and feedback greatly appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

**Beginning Life Anew**

**Author's note**

Well, here's the second chapter of my series. This is still more or less an adaptation of the paragon ending, but I've taken the liberty of extending the game's dialogue to something more colourful. In particular, the hangar scene at the very last part of extended for a tiny bit of comedy and also for a Tali-Shepard atmosphere. Don't worry, more smut to come regarding.

For my vision of this story, I'm just going to write this story to end with the beginning of Mass Effect 3. This will mean consolidating Shepard's assets in the galaxy, which does not include the stupid council. Oh, as for the background of my Shepard, for now, I'll only disclose that his name is Setsuna Shepard. He's Caucassian in spite of the name, actually as ugly as I could make him as his background is a sole survivor of Akuze. The rest of his background, including the ME1 decisions, I'll leave it to you to find out as you read along.

Thanks for those who reviewed. Hope more of you who read will leave your two cents at the reviews page or personal messages.

**Chapter 2: Soul and Fire**

As Shepard stepped into the communications array, the office of the Illusive Man materialized in his field of vision. The Cerberus leader wasted no time in mincing words.

"Shepard, you're making a habit of costing me more than time and money."

Shepard smiled inwardly but his face had a bored expression on it. A very pregnant pause followed.

"And?"

"Don't try my patience you idealistic juvenile ingrate! You think your ideals are something to be proud of? That you can scare the Reapers away with your morals? You just destroyed the single greatest store of technology that could have secured human dominance in the galaxy. Against the Reapers and beyond!" the Illusive Man seemed to be on the verge of ranting.

Shepard's expression hardened. "Even now it's all about Cerberus and you isn't it? We have a race of two kilometre giant squid dreadnoughts coming and your only concern is your little club where you play God. So much for your concern for humanity."

The Illusive Man stepped up from his seat and moved towards Shepard. "Strength for Cerberus is strength for humanity. Cerberus IS humanity. And I am its guardian. I should have known better than to bring back someone with a misguided hero complex who can't even see the big picture for humanity."

The commander's words could have cut ice. "You get what you deserve. And like it or not, you ARE going to get what you paid for. Harbinger is coming and he won't be alone. Humanity will survive but it will not be the way you want, at the expense of every other living being in the galaxy. The galaxy needs someone who cares for more than just human dominance. From now on I'm doing things my way, whether you agree or not. You can either get in or get out of my train."

The Illusive Man fumed a large puff of smoke from his nostrils. "You sure that's what you want? You're willing to turn your back on me? I made you, I brought you back from the dead!"

"And I'm going to do exactly what you brought me back to do. I'm going to win this war, but I'll do it without sacrificing the soul of our species." As he prepared to move away and terminate the communication channel, a strange feeling of pity welled up within Shepard. What happened that made the Illusive Man the way he was today, a power hungry and vengeful racist who cared for nothing but his own interests?

"Even yours, Illusive Man," Shepard finished quietly. Then the line was terminated and Shepard's image vanished from the Illusive Man's office.

The reclusive tycoon was actually startled by Shepard's last words. He hadn't expected to be moved by mere words. He was Cerberus after all. He still had vast resources to prepare for the coming of the Reapers and was confident that he and only he, could save humanity. And for that to happen, the rest of the galaxy had to burn.

Yet Shepard still succeeded in destroying the Collectors, thereby vindicating the Illusive Man's decision to resurrect Shepard at the cost of 4 billion credits. Not to mention more than a hundred Cerberus operatives since the hunt began for his body. As he sat down, viewing the powerful blue star projection, the Illusive Man took a long drag of his cigarette and thought to himself:

_Damn you Shepard. When the smoke clears, there will be a reckoning._

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was amazing how something as simple as a shower could feel like heaven. Shepard sighed contently as the torrents of warm water washed over him, cleansing of the dirt, grime and other unmentionables off his naked body. The water also stung his numerous wounds, newly collected at the Collector's base. Thanks to his cybernetic implants and a huge amount of luck however, most of them were already healing or cauterized. In any case, the pain also reminded him with no small amount of joy that he was alive. Everyone was alive. Ashley would call it a bona fide God given miracle. And in spite of everyone pinning the cause of victory solely on his shoulders, the commander agreed with Ashley.

More importantly, she was still alive.

Shepard felt his body grow warm at the thought of Tali Zorah. He remembered the night before entering the Omega relay, when she had come to his quarters a nervous wreck. She wanted to commit herself to something that was sacred and important. She started babbling about her preparations, taking antibiotic injections and immuno boosters to protect her fragile immune system. All because she didn't want to die making love to him. She was so unsure of herself, relapsing into the doubts of her younger days when Shepard had to constantly remind her of her own competence and value to the team.

He hadn't know it at the time, but it was also to show her how much she meant to him personally.

The Quarian mechanic had looked so cute and beautiful at the same time, a tantalising mixture of both the mature woman she had grown into and the almost teenage enthusiasm back when he first met her in the back alleys of the Citadel.

Shepard sighed as he recalled the urge to unmask her there and then and kiss her face, no matter what shape it was. But at the state of Tali's anxiety, not to mention his own need to rest for the mission, it didn't feel right to consummate the relationship, even though Tali was practically giving herself to him. Not like this. Maybe for the first time, he had become optimistic and knew they were all coming out of the Omega 4 relay alive. Or maybe the time which could have been spent doing the deed was too short to enjoy, certainly not what he wanted to give as Tali's first time.

Or maybe he loved her so much, he knew beyond the shadow of a doubt, that he would fulfill Rael Zorah's promise to his daughter; that he would build her a house on her homeworld. And in the face of that goal, surviving the Collectors and their Reaper masters was nothing.

He switched off the shower and started drying himself. Time to get to work. Feeling fresher than he had ever been in his life, he put on his uniform, a more practical version Kasumi's suit.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The elevator doors hissed open to reveal the subdeck for the hangar. Numerous large holes where the Occulus had burned its way into the Normandy were still there, plugged by the ship's shields to prevent a breach of atmosphere. Shepard was once more struck by the surrealness of surviving a suicide mission. Nearly all of the crew were there helping in the repairs, even Joker, which alarmed him for a few seconds before he remembered EDI. As he stepped out, Thane hurriedly passed by him, barely pausing to salute Shepard. He responded with a smile and a nod.

He saw Grunt using his prodigious strength to lift a huge crate out of the way while being guided by Garrus. The crate apparently wasn't strong enough to hold its cargo and one side broke off to spill its contents.

To Shepard's disgust, inside the crate were thirteen coffins one for each of them.

Kasumi, who had turned her head to investigate the source of the noise took one look at the coffins and gave a high pitched shriek.

"AIEEEE! AIEEEE! AIEEEE! Bad luck, bad luck! Get them out of here or death's coming back for us! There could be Collectors hiding in those things!" she made warding gestured at the coffins.

Grunt and Jack snorted. "Grow a spine. You face Collectors without fear wielding only a monomolecular knife but you spasm in fear of a metal box? It's nothing but worthless scrap now that we've survived."

"Damn straight Grunt. Always did peg her for some Jap anime chick wannabe. Albeit one that does a mighty fine job of backstabing fuckers," Jack agreed.

Kasumi glared at the two. "It's just not nice. We've just had the best gift of being alive and then we see coffins of what could have been? Logic or no, my blood just screams bad omens. And just as I was beginning to think of sticking around as part of this save the galaxy crew."

Shepard finally laughed out loud, a hearty laugh that echoed through the deck. Everyone's attention was drawn to him. As they looked at Kasumi's horrified expression, they all started laughing as well.

All except one. Shepard caught her puzzled expression and gave her a wink before turning to Ken and Gabby.

"Ken, Gabby, I think we just found some excellent materials to fix our hull breaches. What say you on melting them into scrap metal to plug the Normandy?"

The two engineers went over to examine the coffins and were both surprised. "Not a bad idea Comander. These coffins are made of almost the same armour Normandy was covered in before we upgraded her for the Silaris coating. Not sure why they made the coffins so tough though if they meant to launch us into space or stars," Ken said in his think Scottish accent.

A very sour thought crossed Shepard. An image of the corpses of his team well preserved and protected in the coffins while men in white coats (also bearing the Cerberus emblem) dissected them. He dispelled the thought. It was moot now.

He patted Kasumi's shoulder seeing how she was fuming at everyone making fun of her. "Easy there girl, I happen to know that in some parts of Asian culture, death icons such as coffins are taboo. So let's kick death in the ass by using the coffins to preserve life on this ship shall we?"

Kasumi looked slightly mollified. "Guess so Shep. Sorry, that thing really scared the heck out of me. I think I'll go drink some of Gardner's evil coffee. At least the horrible taste will make me forget this memory.

"I HEARD THAT!" Gardner yelled from the other side of the deck.

The Commander thanked whatever powers that be for blessing him with such a crew. As he walked by his crew members, all greeted with the same look that showed their loyalty and commitment to his cause. Even Legion nodded, his head flaps moving as though closing its one eye as a signal of deference and fealty.

Jack and Samara, the crew's powerhouse biotics, one the epitome of anarchism while the other the epitome of brutal justice, were focusing their powers to hold a bulkhead in place as Tali welded them. His heart quickened as the two locked gazes once more, a look that promised much more time for each other in the future.

Grunt was now happily pilling the coffins and then shoving them back into the crate. Garrus left him alone and began to check all of their weapons which had been damaged along with Jacob. The ex-Alliance soldier had discovered to his horror, that the armoury had been breached during the escape and much of it was now slag, hence the temporary armoury which was now set up in a portion of the hangar deck. Their eyes also met the commander's but no words needed to be spoken. They were in for the ride together to the very end.

He continued walking, inspecting the repairs, engaging in a brief talk with Mordin. The Salarian professor yakked his head off non-stop about galactic politics, the impact of the reapers, cutting ties with Cerberus, his relationship with Tali, the price of Earth's potato exports and Japanese Shintoism all in the space of one breath. Miranda rescued Shepard when it appeared that Mordin would never stop, giving Shepard a datapad with a complete report on the damage sustained by the Normandy as well as the action plans to repair her. The commander thanked her as she walked away. He could swear she was bouncing on the balls of her feet.

He passed by everyone and committed them all into his heart. Chakwas, Goldstein, Hawthorn, Kelly Chambers and other crew members, all of them.

Kasumi had taught him a wonderful Japanese word. Nakama. People who were not blood relatives but just as close and valuable. It made Shepard feel proud yet humbled by the fact he counted the motley group of aliens and humans as family.

He finally came to Joker, who was reading a data slate with an uncharacteristic look of seriousness. As serious as the first Collector attack on the original Normandy. He looked up as the commander came to him.

"Hey Commander. Guess you proved everyone else wrong again huh?"

"No Joker. WE proved them wrong. And I'll break the rest of your bones if you disagree," Shepard made a show of cracking his knuckles.

Joker rolled his eyes. "And I thought Tali had self esteem issues."

Shepard became serious. "I know my limits Joker. I already died once remember? And this time, it wasn't just me, it was all of us. We pulled our weight together, you perhaps more than the rest of us. And before I forget, thank you for saving our asses in the end."

"Sure Commander. Anything to see you cry into Tali's bosom."

Before Shepard could respond, a slender arm with three digits suddenly wrapped itself around Joker's neck and started choking the poor pilot.

"What was that about my bosom you bosh'tet?"

"Ack, Ack! (gasp) Careful, Vrolik Syndrome...(gasp) Brittle bones!" the pilot gasped.

Shepard laughed. "Down Tali. Joker did pull our asses out of the fire. He maybe a bosh'tet (whatever that means) but he is the bosh'tet that stuck with us through thick and thin, fire and ice, heaven and hell."

The Quarian mechanic released Joker from her grip and glared at the gasping pilot. then she gently helped him up and to Joker's surprise, actually hugged him.

"Don't ever change the way you are Joker," she said. The pilot patted her back awkwardly.

"Yep, that's what I'm here for, to save the day for everyone. After the Commander saves the galaxy first of course. Speaking of which..." Joker became serious again and handed Shepard the datapad he had been reading.

Shepard and Tali looked at the datapad. The Quarian gasped. It appeared to be a detailed schematic of one Reaper, specifically Harbinger. As she drilled down the data, her blood chilled. It wasn't just the schematic of one Reaper.

There was also a listing of other Reapers. More than a hundred thousand.

Shepard looked at Joker and Tali. The other two were shocked by the look in his eyes. It once again held the same fire that guided them into Ilos and Omega 4 relay and triumphed. He looked back at the coffins and then gazed out of a breached hole into the stars, where a race of genocidal AI dreadnoughts existed to destroy organic life as part of a neverending cycle of genocide.

"Shepard..." Tali stuttered.

He responded by gripping her hand and clasping it reassuringly. "No, we will NOT fail. We will prevail and save the galaxy. I am going to build you a house on Rannoch. For that reason alone, we will defeat the Reapers," he said fiercely.

Tali was startled at Shepard's declaration. She barely had time to wonder how Shepard knew the name of the long lost Quarian homeworld when he turned his attention to Joker.

"Joker, set course for Earth."

End Chapter 2

**Author's note**

Hope you like it. Reviews both positive and negative are welcomed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note**

A little shorter than normal, but right now, I'm shooting off all the chapters I've managed to get on paper and have typed out. Hope you guys enjoy it and review.

**Beginning Life Anew **

**Chapter 3: Homecoming**

Tali couldn't believe it. But there it was outside the window of the starboard observation deck. The blue orb known as Earth, homeworld of humanity. More importantly, the homeworld of her love Commander Setsuna Shepard.

She was aware however that seeing his homeworld wasn't a joyous moment to Shepard. She had been there at Chora's den two years ago when Shepard was approached by a gang member he was formerly affiliated with during his childhood in the slums of Earth. The commander had restrained himself from throwing a biotic push at the man who was insistent on dredging up Shepard's past, a past he was no longer interested in. But to Shepard's credit, he had kept his temper down and even managed to push a rational discussion into the other human's head. The gang member had thrown the towel in the argument, unwilling to accept the truth of Shepard's words.

"I never thought I would see that ball of dirt again," Tali was startled when he appeared next to her.

"It's strange. Most of my people envision and pray for a time when we can finally reclaim our homeworld from the geth and place our weary feet on organic soil once more. We love the idea of having to live on a planet instead of a fleet. Yet here we are, orbiting your race's homeworld and you take no special joy in it," she said this as a statement, not in a judgmental way.

Shepard shrugged. "We have a saying back home: home is where the heart is. I was born in a gutter somewhere, probably abandoned by my parents at the doorstep of an orphanage in the poorest quarters of a city called New York. My name Setsuna? It's actually a Japanese name, a culture which Kasumi is a native. But I took it for my own when ran away from the orphanage and joined my first gang, the Reds. To become one of them, I beat four of them with my bare hands even though I was only 10 years old and for what? A lump of plastic. A robot toy. Actually I think it was a model but with what I could read off the toy, there was a name on it called Setsuna. I claimed it as my own and gained entry into the gangs."

Tali looked at him, the tilt in her head indicating her confusion. "What about your surname Shepard? Did you take that name later on as well?"

He shook his head. "When I snuck off on a transport to another colony, the Alliance security found me and once again, I was put into an orphanage. To my surprise, the orphanage wasn't anything like the Earth slums. People there actually cared for the children. After I reached the age of twelve, I finally met my stepparents who adopted me, and so I became Setsuna Shepard.

"Your parents are alive? Keelah, you never mentioned them," Tali exclaimed.

"Well, I didn't feel like rubbing the fact I still have living relatives on you, especially after your father's death. Besides, after I enrolled into the Alliance, we drifted apart somewhat. I went into N7 training while my parents are both ship captains. Mum is the captain of the dreadnought Orizaba while dad is captain of a frigate, similar to the Normandy but not as advanced."

"Do they know you are alive? How come I don't remember seeing them during your funeral..." Tali gasped as she realised what she was saying. "I mean the silly ceremonial celebration of your death, well, not celebration but even then, we were all angry at the Council's insistence on covering up the Reapers and using your death as an excuse to let dead dogs lie... Keelah, how did I blunder into bringing up your death?" Tali was truly flustered for touching on this topic.

Shepard laughed and wished he could see Tali's face unmasked when she was embarrassed. To Tali's surprise, he moved and hugged her from behind, locking his arms around her smooth firm stomach.

"You don't have to be embarrassed Tali. Any regret or negative feelings about my death and resurrection went out of the window the moment I saw you on Freedom's progress. I'm not exactly a God person but there hasn't been a day I haven't been thankful for you being alive and on my side."

"Besides, you brought up the perfect subject. Yes, my parents know I'm alive. Dad's still part of the Arcturus Core fleet so he's still there. Mum on the other hand... "Shepard paused and seem to be looking out of the window. Tali turned her head to look at Shepard and saw an uncharacteristically wicked grin on Shepard's face. He followed his gaze out the window and beheld an approaching flotilla of Alliance ships approaching the Normandy.

At the centre of the fleet, was a huge Alliance Dreadnought.

Tali gasped in horror. "Shepard, you didn't... I thought we came to Earth to convince the Alliance to prepared for war with the Reapers!"

Shepard's face became serious. "The System Alliance parliament and government headquarters is at Arcturus Prime, not Earth itself. Seeing the data on the Reapers collected by EDI finally got made me figure out my priorities. I'm fighting for you Tali. For the family we could have and WILL have. And to do that, I need to introduce you to my mother: Captain Hannah Shepard of the SSV Orizaba.

to be continued.

**Author's note**

I know, a little short. But I promise the next few chapters will be longer and hopefully, more interesting if you don't find it already. Constructive criticism are greatly appreciated.


	4. Chapter 4

**Beginning Life Anew **

**Chapter 4: Meet Mrs. Shepard**

There was tension on the deck as the Normandy docked with the one kilometer long SSV Orizaba. After all, there was no telling what reception awaited them in spite of Shepard's reassurances. They had only just survived the destruction of the Collector's base and told the Illusive Man to piss off only a few days ago. To the Alliance and galaxy at large, they were still Cerberus, a sworn enemy of the Citadel Council and Systems Alliance.

Politics were the least of Shepard's fears however. He hadn't come to convince Earth's political leaders to unite against the Reapers yet. He just wanted to see his mother, something he had not done in many years, even before he became a Spectre.

The memory of his mother's e-mail had been a shadow over his heart since his resurrection. Only the urgency of the Collector mission had prevented him from being anywhere near Earth where his mother's flotilla was stationed. In fact, he had been so engrossed with his crew's personal missions that he had almost forgotten about his own personal demons.

Until he met Tali on Haestrom. Seeing the dossier recommendation by the Illusive Man was the only time he felt anything like gratitude for the self-styled savior of humanity. With Tali and Garrus, he finally had some stability in his life, something from the past that didn't discredit him like Ashley on Horizon, or the Citadel Councilors.

It had felt like a painful stab in the heart when he heard Ashley's accusations of betraying the Alliance and everything they stood for. In retrospect, the Commander could hardly blame her, especially after the apologetic e-mail she had sent. But that time was passed. And while Garrus and Tali provided him with a centre, Tali herself provided him with a focus. A focus that went beyond just saving a largely unidentifiable or apathetic galaxy.

She loved him. And by God, did he love her as well.

The object of his love was beside herself with anxiety.

"Shepard, how could you do this to me? Does she know who I am? Or even what I am? Or even how I look like? I mean, this is the only suit I have! What should I bring? What are human mating rituals regarding the parents of the male? Oh keelah keelah keelah keelah keelah..." she was bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet and wringing her adorable 3 digit hands incessantly.

Kasumi, who was perched on a crate nearby chuckled. "Relax girl. In most human cultures, it is the guy who has to be worried when meeting the girl's parents, not the other way round. And Shepard's mum doesn't sound like the kind of woman will blast her son out of the sky on account of being affiliated with a pro human terrorist organisation responsible for children biotic death camps, experimentation on live humans, stirring up thresher maws which nearly killed her own son on Akuze..."

Garrus' mandibles twitched. "Not to mention having a Turian vigilante, a galaxy renowned thief, a Krogan supersoldier, a Drell assassin, a bounty hunter and two Cerberus operators in his crew."

Shepard scowled at both of them. "Not helping..." he growled through gritted teeth. Turning to reassure Tali, he took her small hands in his. "Tali, we've faced Collectors and Reapers. I'm sure we can handle my mum."

"He's right. Our battlemaster can take on his progenitor. Along with the division of Alliance marines on the dreadnought. I relish the thought of battle with N7 marines like my battlemaster," Grunt licked his lips in anticipation.

"NO. SHOOTING. IN. MY. MUM'S. SHIP!" Shepard snapped as the cargo doors finally opened. As Shepard looked out into the dreadnought's own hangar deck, he almost rescinded his order to Grunt.

There were a lot of guns pointing at them. As per Grunt's prediction, well nigh the entire marine division of the Orizaba was in the hangar deck. In the middle of them, was a small group of Alliance officers led by a somewhat diminutive woman.

At the sight of the woman, Shepard forgot about the thousand guns and marines. He immediately started pulling Tali with one hand towards the Alliance officers in spite of Tali's bewildered words. Indeed, words failed him as he saw the face he thought he could never see again. He was thankful he wasn't wearing the Cerberus uniform, but rather a rugged and casual spacer outfit. It betrayed his subconscious, revealing he was no longer part of the Alliance but he didn't care.

Most of the gun muzzles followed him but some remained trained on his motley crew of misfits which he had molded into the galaxy's best fighting force. He ignored them. The group of Alliance officers began to panic but the leading woman was stone cold emotionless. He didn't stop until he was right in front of her for Tali to see.

Despite knowing that Hannah Shepard wasn't his biological mother, Tali was still surprised by the difference in stature. Compared to Ashley Williams, she was a head shorter, making the Commander Shepard almost a giant by comparison. She also looked quite youthful, her hair without any hint of grey despite the fact she must be at least fifty years old, a venerable age by human standards. In contrast to Setsuna's black hair, she had red hair along with a darker skin complexion similar to Ashley. Much of her hair was in a bun and hidden behind an Alliance Navy cap. In spite of her short stature, Tali could not help but sense an aura of authority similar to her own father's when he was alive. This was after all a captain of an Alliance dreadnought. And right now, her steely expression looked harder than Normandy's Silaris armour.

Shepard began, "Hi mum. I..."

At that moment, she belted him in the gut. Despite his cybernetics, it sent him wheezing on the floor.

All of Tali's nervousness vanished at that point. Faster than even Grunt could give credit, she whipped out her Eviscerator shotgun and pointed its muzzle at the woman. "Why did you do that for you bosh'tet?" The air became tense as all of Shepard's team drew their weapons or lit up their biotics.

The woman glared coldly at Tali and the Quarian felt as though she was being skewered. "Because this idiot son of mine never told me he was alive for 2 years and didn't even tell me he was bringing a girlfriend along," she roared, again something that was disproportionate to her size.

Shepard raised his hand to his squad. "Everyone stand down. I deserved that," he wheezed in a rather squeaky voice. Jack now realised that with a mother like that, no wonder Shepard never seem put off by her own vulgar behaviour. Reluctantly, all of them lowered their weapons but did not holster them.

As he stood up to face Captain Hannah Shepard, he straightened to military attention.

"Citadel Council Spectre Setsuna Shepard requesting an audience with Captain Hannah Shepard of the Systems Alliance dreadnought Orizaba."

"And to what does Alliance Space owe the pleasure of a Spectre visit?" Hannah asked.

"This isn't Council business. At least not yet. This is to request leave on Earth for my crew which has just survived a suicide mission. And for a son to see his mother."

The elder Shepard's expression finally softened and at a slight gesture, the marines lowered their weapons. "Permission granted Spectre Setsuna Shepard. For what it's worth, welcome home."

For Shepard, home wasn't the planet they were orbiting or even the Normandy. It was wherever his crew, Tali and mother were situated. And right now, they were all in one place.

"It's good to be home."

To be continued...

**Author's note**

Well there you have it: first meeting with the mother. Hope you guys enjoyed it. As usual, criticisms (preferable constructive), are greatly appreciated.


	5. Chapter 5

**Beginning Life Anew **

**Author's note**

For simplicity's sake, if I mention Shepard, it means Commander Shepard. Hannah Shepard will always be addressed as either captain or Hannah, but never Shepard alone.

**Chapter 5: Mother and son**

The dreadnought SSV Orizaba was at least 5 times the length of the Normandy, so it was easy for the frigate to stay docked within the Orizaba. Teams of engineers were now assisting the SR2's own personnel in properly patching the Normandy using the scrapped coffins. Former Cerberus agent Miranda Lawson supervised the repairs along with Garrus Vakarian. The Alliance crew were surprisingly cooperative, although that may have to do with the tough as iron regime of Captain Hannah Shepard.

The logo was now being scrapped off by Jack, who took great pleasure in doing so. In fact Miranda purposely assigned her that particular task, which served to mellow the cold atmosphere between the two slightly.

The rest of the squad were now relaxing at the officer's lounge reserved only for the executive staff of the Orizaba. As the dreadnought was a ship of the line, it was considered luxurious and all were taking the opportunity to relax and chill out. If the other senior Alliance officers showed any disdain for the visiting aliens, Shepard's team ignored them.

For Shepard however, there would be no rest yet. He was now in his mother's personal quarters and office. He felt a pang of guilt that despite being the highest ranking officer on the ship, even her quarters could not compare to his 'loft' on the Normandy.

As soon as they were seated opposite each other in the cramp office space, Shepard started talking.

"Mum, I'm sorry for not seeing you for so long. Even before I died, after Saren's defeat, I didn't even get the time off to visit. I should have, there was no excuse. We may both be military but it doesn't change the fact that you are family. I should have screwed duty and took the Normandy AWOL to see you. After all, I'm a Council Spectre with freedom to do virtually anything I want. And I wasted it on stupid Council missions, which was what finally got me killed in the end."

Hannah held up her hand before Setsuna continued talking. "Sets, you may be a Spectre but you are still an Alliance Marine deep in your heart. For us, military discipline and duty is our life blood. A bunch of alien (or human for that matter) politicians isn't going to change that. So no, I don't blame you for not contacting me after the Saren incident, nor do I blame you for not contacting me after you returned. If anything, I should be blaming the Systems Alliance Admiralty and the Council idiots for not even recovering your body."

"Then you also know about me working with Cerberus," Shepard said quietly. No matter how much the Illusive Man contributed to the mission, Shepard still felt dirty due to the fact he had worked with a man directly responsible for the death of his own squad on Akuze, not to mention countless brutal experiments on his own fellow man. "Seriously though, what happened after I got spaced? I got a lot of curses from Joker, I mean Lieutenant Jeff Moreau, but I couldn't understand the Alliance's reaction after Saren. Even Anderson was tight lipped about it."

Hannah sighed. "Politics. We bit off more than we could chew when we joined the Council. Anderson did do the best he could but in spite of all your efforts, the existence of another power behind the Geth was still too hard for them to swallow. Stability and economic reconstruction became the order of the day. They didn't want to rock the boat, so they steamrolled those in the Admiralty board who actually gave your story on the Reapers serious thought. Admiral Hackett for example was... reassigned to a deskjob on Arcturus instead of commanding the Fifth fleet."

"I heard they tried to promote you to Admiral," Shepard said.

She scowled, "They wanted me to keep my mouth shut and away from the troops. As Captain of the Orizaba and commander of my own battle group, they saw me as too close to line personnel and could spread dangerous rumours. On the Admiralty board, I would have been the same as Hackett, reassigned to a desk job pushing pencils, dealing with sycophants who think that my son's brain was fried by the Prothean beacon, hence the fanciful Reaper stories.

"In short, they tried to turn me into a REMF.*"

Her eyes flashed in anger. "Before I got posted near Earth, my flotilla investigated the missing colonies. I saw firsthand what the Reapers are capable off. And I saw the stupidity of the Alliance and the Council. It nearly made me join Cerberus. In fact, an agent did approach me. I spaced him. I may hate the Alliance leadership but I'm still an Alliance soldier dedicated to protecting humanity. Not ignoring their cries for help or worse, experimenting on our own."

Shepard sighed. "I once told my old squadmate Ashley Williams that the Alliance wasn't perfect but it was the best system we had. Turns out the Illusive Man was right about the Alliance becoming unwieldy and too political. Then again, I wouldn't put it past him to feed misinformation to the Alliance for his own schemes. Unlikely but possible if in the long run, Cerberus comes out on top."

"Williams? As in a family member of the General Williams of Shanxi?" Hannah was surprised.

"Yes. She was part of my crew in the old Normandy. One of the best marines I ever had the pleasure of commanding. And they treated her like shit for it. She is a good soldier and a good woman. I just hope wherever they assigned her now, they are treating her right."

Hannah looked hard at Shepard. "Did you fraternise with her during the hunt for Saren?"

"No mum, it wasn't like that. As a matter of fact, she isn't on my favourite person list at the moment. Apparently someone fed her bullshit that I had betrayed the Alliance for Cerberus. Our first meeting after we returned... didn't go so well. It was the only time I regretted coming back to life. The Council and Alliance I can understand if they don't trust me. But for Ashley Williams, someone who stuck with me against Saren to call me a traitor...," Shepard voice broke, the horrible memory of Horrizon resurfacing.

Hannah stood up, walked around the desk and squeezed his shoulder. "Setsuna, before you go further, allow me to say this. You are my son even if not by blood. Never forget this, I will always trust you. You don't have to defend any of your decisions to me, it is your own life after all. But know that I'm ready to space anyone who tries to convince me that you've gone traitor. I know you and from the day I saw you at the orphanage, well, as cheesy as it sounds, I loved you. And you have made me proud all the way. Forget Akuze, or your Specture appointment, or Ilos, or your return from the Omega 4 relay. I've been proud of you since you decided to call me mother a year after we adopted you."

Shepard was amazed and touched by his stepmother's trust. "Thank's mum. You have no idea what your trust means to me," his hand found his mother's at his shoulder and squeezed it. They then rested their foreheads together, a ritual they both established long ago to show affection. This they still did even after he graduated from the N7 program.

He then took a deep breath. "I suppose this would be the perfect time to tell you that I have a girlfriend who is a Quarian?"

At this, Captain Hannah Shepard laughed. "Son, she could be a Krogan for all I care. Actually it'll be good if she was one, seeing that only a Krogan can stomach my cooking."

"I have a super Krogan on my team called Grunt, but I don't think even he can digest the thing you call food."

WHACK! 

Both mother and son yowled with pain, Shepard holding the back of his head while Hannah shook her right hand.

"What the hell did you that for you demon?" Shepard shouted.

"What the hell did Cerberus replace your head with?" Hannah retorted.

Their angry glare eventually dissolved into laughter.

"Cerberus genetics," Shepard answered. "I really need to talk to my XO in detail on exactly what I'm made off. Technically I'm undead."

"Even if you are, you are still my son. Now let's get down to the real reason why you are here shall we?" Hannah's eyes glinted with mischief.

Setsuna Shepard knew that look. It was a look that normally meant latrine duty for some poor unsuspecting and green marine. He walked to the door and opened it.

Still standing outside nervously, bouncing on the balls of her feet and wringing her hands constantly, was Tali. Kasumi was in the midst of calming Tali with little success but stopped as soon as the door opened.

"Shepard, I..." before she could babble further, Shepard dragged her into the office, shutting the door to Kasumi's face when she tried to follow them inside to her indignation. Holding her hand, he stood next to Tali in front of Hannah.

"Mum, I would like you to meet my girlfriend. This is Tali Zorah Vas Normandy nar Rayya or the Quarian Migrant Fleet."

To be continued...

**Author's note**

REMF = Rear Echelon Mother F'cker. Not sure if its used in real life, but its used by Tom Clancy to describe useless generals and admirals who issue bad orders which results in soldiers dying.

I hope the chapter wasn't too boring and "fluffy". I wanted to make a mother son moment, something I've never done before, but I've seen a few times in . These are rare stories though, those who touch on relationship between Shepard and mother.

As always, contructive criticism is appreciated. Next chapter: Mother and daughter in law.


End file.
